


But You Loved Him More

by SummerRaine14



Series: Future Bughead [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Because she loves him more, Betty chooses Jug, F/M, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 14:08:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14771133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: Betty Cooper has two men who want her- but in the end, she can only choose one





	But You Loved Him More

**Author's Note:**

> I know that having the B*rchie tag will scare a lot of readers away but I promise this will be worth it!! Just a little one shot I wrote one night that I wanted to share

Betty Cooper was never a beauty extraordinaire- she was just a girl who grew up in a middle class family, loved to write, and her beauty was no less ordinary than most of the girls in her small hometown. But somehow, there were two boys who wanted her, and they spent years fighting for just that. 

 

\--

 

If someone asked Archie Andrews what he saw in Betty, the answer would be simple. She was his childhood best friend and they were always destined to be the all-American perfect couple. He would say that she was attractive and smart, and that he fell in love with  _ her body _ . 

 

If someone asked Jughead Jones what he saw in Betty, the answer would be much more complex. Jughead would explain that he had met Betty during one of the darkest times in his life and she quickly became his only beacon of light, and that her intelligence is what made her so attractive. He would describe how her emerald eyes shined under the night sky, and the way her hair looked down in loose waves when she woke up in the morning. Jughead would say that he appreciated the way Betty felt just as confident in one of his t-shirts as she did was her makeup done and in a fancy outfit. But most importantly, he would say that he fell in love with who she was. The truth was, what he saw in her was  _ her.  _

 

\--

 

If someone asked Betty Cooper was she saw in Archie, her answer would be simple. They were childhood best friends and it was written in stone that they were supposed to end up together- high school sweethearts turned life lovers. She would comment on his fiery red hair and how he was a great singer. She would say that she fell in love with the  _ idea of him.   _

 

If someone asked Betty Cooper what she saw in Jughead, her answer would be much more complex. She would explain that during a time of pain and doubt, they stumbled on each other’s paths as if it were fate. She would say that the way he calculated everything he wrote as if it were life changing made her appreciate his talent and drive. That his raven coloured locks and ocean blue eyes changed her life and she could get used to waking up to them every morning. However, above all else, Betty would say that she fell in love with who he was. What she saw in him was nothing more than  _ him.  _

  
  


Despite all of this, when the time came to choose, Betty had to listen to her heart or her head. In the end, she chose her head and was still living with the consequences of that even now. The last time Betty saw Jughead was the day after their high school graduation, as he got onto a bus headed to God knows where and said goodbye to Riverdale. A month before, Betty had chosen Archie and they began to plan their future together, but no one knew about her heart broke when she caught wind that Jughead was leaving. They especially didn’t know that she found his best friend at the White Wyrm and asked when he would be leaving, nor the fact that she showed up to the bus terminal a minute too late and had to watch as the boy she loved drove away from her. That was the last time she saw him-until today. 

 

It had been three years since Jughead left their hometown, but Betty still made weekly visits to the Southside (behind Archie’s back, of course). She would check in with his friends about where he may be, but for three years they refused to tell her nothing. However, on her latest visit to the beaten down bar, Betty noticed the grey wooled crown shaped beanie sitting on top of a mess of black hair and instantly knew who the man at the bar was. When he turned around, everything from their past came flooding back to her. Every kiss, smile, laugh and hug was all she could see. The memories of late night phone calls, hour long drives to escape their messy lives, but more than all of that, him sitting on a bus leaving her behind. “Jughead,” Betty breathed, walking closer to him without hesitation. Jughead finished off his beer before slamming it on the bar top and standing up, walking right past Betty without a word to her. She followed him outside and grabbed his arm. “You left,” her voice was hoarse and tears were close to falling, “I loved you and you left.” 

 

Jughead turned back to Betty and looked into her deep green eyes, “You may have loved me Cooper, but you loved him more.” He pulled himself from her grip and got onto his motorcycle, ignoring as she called after him and not daring to look back. 

 

Not long after her confrontation with Jughead, Betty arrived home. She sighed as she pulled into the driveway and saw Archie’s truck. There relationship had been on the rocks for a few months now, if Betty was being honest it had always been pretty bad, but these past few months were worse. They barely talked to each other when they were gone for hours during the day on work, never had dinner at the table as a couple, dates seemed nonexistent, and worst of all- Betty didn’t miss him when he wasn’t around. One day a week when she would venture in the Southside in hopes of finding Jughead gave her more of a thrill than her entire relationship with Archie ever did. Betty waited for a moment before turning her car off, wanting nothing more than to put it back in drive and just leaving, but she knew she couldn’t. She turned off the car and sighed once more before entering into her house. 

 

“Where have you been?” The first words out of Archie’s mouth, and Betty hadn’t even been a foot into the house yet. 

 

She set her bag and keys down on the table beside the door before looking at Archie, “I was out.” 

 

“In the Southside, visiting a certain Jones?” He snapped at her. “A friend of mine was over there canvassing the area for a construction sight, said he saw you on the street with some guy sporting a grey beanie and I knew it.” 

 

“Knew what?” Betty’s voice was dry, she didn’t care anymore. This was the end for them, and she was just happy that he was the one doing the deed so she wouldn’t have to answer a million and one questions. 

 

“It was him. It was always him.” Archie walked away and into their living room, he took a seat on the couch and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, “this house is under my name. I keep the house, and you get to walk away with no fight from me.” For the first time in what felt like years, Betty felt completely free and without another word, she walked back out the front door. 

  
  
  


Jughead was laying down with a beer when he heard a banging on the door and groaned as he had to get up to answer it. He pulled the door open and his eyes went wide at the sight. “You were wrong.” It was all Betty said as she pushed herself by Jughead and into the small trailer. 

 

“What are you doing here, Cooper?” He asked, going back to the living area and picking up his beer. 

 

“When you said I loved him more,” Betty walked closer, leaving almost no space between the two of them, “you were wrong. I kept going back, week after week to see if you’d come home.” 

 

“You chose him.” Three words, but they destroyed Betty anyway. “You chose him and I left because I couldn’t stand the idea of you with someone else.” 

 

“I chose you!” Betty screamed, shoving Jughead back, “I found out you were leaving and I showed up at the terminal to tell you not to leave, but you were already on that stupid bus!” 

 

“You chose me?” The words felt like they got stuck in Jughead’s throat as he asked them. 

 

“Yes, I chose you. I’m choosing you now. So please, just kiss me.” Betty practically begged and without argument, he took her cheeks in the palm of his hands and pulled her in for a kiss. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I love feedback y'all <3


End file.
